tuluum's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (article) - Barbie and Orthodox Judaism and Feminism.. Forgot the name of this article (found it on Aish.com)... thought it was cool.. pardon the formatting errors! by Chaya Rivkah Jessel The other day two events took place that revealed the intrinsic connection between my past and present life. The first occurred in the morning while I was sorting out my desk. I came across some old photographs that transported me across time, across continents, and ultimately into another life. In this other life, I was a non-religious uiversity student, fiercely committed to women's rights. The snapshots showed me and several of my friends attending an Iternational Women's Day Rally. The memories of that day came flooding back --banners, speeches, color everywhere, music, drama, camaraerie, sisterhood, ideals worth fighting for, beliefs worth defending, support for women, struggle for women, rights for wmen, dignity for women... Later on in the afternoon, a friend brought over a bag of used clothing for me to deliver to one of the eighborhood second-hand stores. Included were four Barbie dolls in excellent condition. Their hair was still shiny, long, nd luxuriant. Smiles permanently in place, two sported earrings, another had a pink yo-yo affixed to her hand. The fashions were thetypical Barbie fare. I was just about to take the dolls out of the bag, (they would make a nice present for my nine-yea old daughter), when something stopped me. The photographs. The memories. The ideals. I slowly placed the dolls back into the bag. I have been observant for many years, and a mother for nin of those years, but only after my encounter with the Barbie dolls had I consciously acknowledged just how similar my two livs really were. My halcyon student days, where I lived and breathed feminist theory, always seemed so strident, loud, and aggrssive compared to my more sedentary existence as a stay-at-home Orthodox mother. Yet, the image of those photographs reminded e of a long-forgotten truth: both feminism and traditional Judaism share a common goal -- upholding and ensuring the dignity of omen. How the two ideologies go about expressing and achieving that goal sometimes sets them at loggerheads. But the goal iself is indisputable. Just as I would never have countenanced a Barbie doll in my home when my lifestyle was more overtly feminst, so too -- and for exactly the same reasons -- I understood that these sort of dolls are not suitable in a religious home. As a left-wing student, Barbie dolls represented to me the most materialistic aspect of American society. I rebelled against te conspicuous consumption they encouraged. More importantly, I fervently disagreed with the stereotyped image of womanhood they dpicted. Their standard of beauty was one few women could attain, and those that tried often did so at the risk of becoming anrexic. They looked nothing like any of the real, imperfect yet integrated women I admired. Their beauty was skin-deep, and white-toned at that. My black sister students felt totally alienated by the Barbie ideal -- her life of leisure and shopping wasinsipid and empty compared to the very real issues they and most women of color struggled with. When the manufacturers tried to introduce a talking Barbie, feminists all over the world reacted wrathfully as the immaculately dressed icon bleated out mindlessly, "Math sure is hard!" Is this what we wanted our daughters to emulate? An image of a woman utterly dependent on material prodcts for her happiness, without any social conscience or personal ambition at all? No way would I ever have allowed any of my children, girls or boys, to play with such an ideologically tainted toy. It wasn't only my feminist consciousness that was switced off that day when I almost gave the dolls to my daughter. My Torah awareness was also not up to standard. How could I lay host in my observant home to a doll that looks more like a Playboy pin-up than a child's playmate? Barbie is representative ofa culture that objectifies women. In my current environment, Barbie symbolizes everything that I, as a newly observantwoman, rejected about Western culture. She is all body. There is nothing about her that even remotely suggests spirituality and internaity. She is representative of a culture that objectifies women. In this sense, Barbie actually brings together the twin evils of secular culture: the advertising and fashion industries. Neither of these realms are concerned with the betterment of women Profit rules the day. Women's bodies are everywhere, adorning cars, computers, dishwashers... anything, so long as itsells. Barbie has always been at the forefront of fashion. Many top designers have succumbed to the lure of designing an outfit for hr perfect body. Ostentation, titillation and objectification are the name of the game. Very few of Barbie's outfits re designed with the comfort of the wearer in mind. And that's one of the things that attracted me to traditional Judaism -- the inheret dress reform. I had already been through the "uglification process" necessary to be considered a "serious" feminis -- baggy workers' overalls, cut off at the elbows and knees, no make-up or jewelry allowed. Any form of adornment was seen as degrading towomen in that its sole purpose was to attract men. I had achieved my goal of being taken seriously as a person, and not viewed solely on the basis of my physical features. But, something was missing. My rigid, feminist dress code allowed for no individality, no color, no creativity. I rebelled every now and again with dangly earrings, but I felt increasingly that I had lost a certain vitality in my dress. As destiny would have it, it was just at this juncture in my life where I was feeling stifled b having to toe the party line, that I met a woman who was to shake up my ideas about religion, women, and feminis. Chava answered my questions and attacks with a quiet certainty that unnerved me. She was able to show the Torah foundation underlying most of my feminist issues because we shared the same feminist language. For example, I once asked her how she could dress in such a stifling way. It was the height of summer, and she was wearing a skirt that reached below her knees, sleeves that covered her lbows, and a high-buttoned shirt. It was obvious to me that her adherence to such a stringent dress code was proof of her subordination to "the rabbis." They were the ones, I thought, who had formulated the restrictions. Since, at that time, I believed tha Jewish law was "written by men for men," it seemed clear to me that the laws of tzniut were not in women's bet interests. Her answer shook me to the core. "I will not allow myself to be objectified. I choose to reveal to whom I wish to reveal, when I wish to reveal." Her use of feminist logic shocked me into acknowledging that perhaps the Torah was not so opressive after all. She explained that human beings are bidden to emulate their Creator. Just as God "hides" behind the mask of the physical wold, so too should we take care not to reveal our deepest selves to all and sundry -- only at the right time,in the right place, with the right person. By projecting ourselves in a less external way, we become aware of our own depth and internality. B embracing the laws of tzniut, we acknowledge that spirituality is, in its very essence, private and internl. Tzniut refines our self-definition. By projecting ourselves in a less external way, we become aware of our own depth and internality, and are mor likely to relate to those around us in a deeper, less superficial manner. Since my feminism was founded uon becoming a more authentic, spiritually aware person, her explanation resonated very deeply with me. What was even more shocking to me was that hava found no need to de-emphasize her femininity. She dressed well, with a flair for color, and I yearne to have her sense of security. She knew she was more than just a body, but she also appreciated and enhanced her natural attributes. By way of personl example, she taught me that one may be attractive, but not attracting. Pretty, not provocative. Chaa went to great pains to teach me that tzniut is much more than a dress code for women. Firstly, I learned that the laws of tzniut are not only for womn. Both sexes are required to dress and behave in a dignified way. However, the laws of women's dress ae more detailed because women's bodies affect women and men in many more ways. More significantly, tzniut is a way of life -- how one dresses is simpl its most visible application. It encompasses our behavior, our speech, and even our thoughts. Wherea in its colloquial sense, "modesty" implies docility, low self-esteem, and a basic lack of "oomph," in Jewish terms, tzniut is a source of power and selfworth, and a prerequisite for spiritual growth. Tzniut means an awareness of being in God's presence t all times. This is the reason that tzniut applies when we are alone as much as it does when we are with others. Always conscious of our Creator, every apect of our lives assumes a transcendental value far beyond its superficial manifestation. One of the key words in my feminist vocabulary was "self-esteem." This, I felt, was vital to a woman's sense of achievement and accomplishment. When first learningabout tzniut, I mistakenly associated it with a sense of self-deprecation. As I learned more, it beame apparent that, on the contrary, tzniut is the most significant contributor to a strong sense of self and self-worth. I was taught this fundamental leson when reading through the Biblical account of the Garden of Eden. After eating from the forbiddn fruit, Adam and Eve made garments for themselves. Prior to their fall, they had been unaware of their primordial nakedness, and had only viewed their bodie as a means of serving God. The traditional commentaries point out that, having internalized the nowledge of Good and Evil, the couple lost their spiritual clarity. Falsehood was no longer an external entity but an intrinsic part of themselves. From that oment on, they were unable to see the spiritual within the physical. For this reason, they had t dim the power of the physical by covering it with garments. Paradoxically, then, the act of covering up enables the spiritual to be revealed. Clothing remnds us that the body is merely the vehicle for the soul and that physical drives and pleasures should not be viewed as ends in themselves. In a sense, then, our clothes protect us from the animalistic nature of our bodies. Observing the laws of tzniut akes a statement to ourselves and to the world at large that our self-worth is not reliant upo the approval of others, but rather upon doing what is right in God's eyes. Tzniut frees people from superficiality, and in this way, engenders a stronger sense f self. I am more than my body, and I am no longer ensnarled by the current fads of fashion. zniut frees me to soar to ever-greater heights. By not giving my daughter the Barbies, I was giving her a gift far greater in value. I was giving her the abiliy to be appreciated for her inner being, and not for her outer trappings. I was giving her asense of self-esteem and independence. I was giving her dignity and self-control. I was giving her the gift of tzniut. ************************************************************************* Curent Clix Ranking: 18 | Previous Clix Ranking: 18 11:01 p.m. - Thursday, Jul. 31, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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